English Literature

Explore Literature from Britain and Beyond from the Medieval to the Present Day

Explore your passion for literature, discover new literary worlds and engage in critical debate as you analyse texts from a variety of contexts, time periods, and authors.

You will have the opportunity to study texts from the Medieval and Early Modern eras, through the Renaissance and Victorian periods, and into the present day.

Along the way, you will study some of the most well-known names in literature such as Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde and the Brontës.

You will learn from experienced tutors and experts who use the latest research to underlie their teaching to ensure that you have access to the latest debates within the study of literature.

On this course you will:

• Study some of the most well-known names in literature such as Margaret Atwood, Charles Dickens, and Kazuo Ishiguro.

• Engage with texts from the Medieval period through the Present Day, by authors from both Britain and across the world.

• Gain an insight into a variety of genres and styles, including contemporary women’s writing and contemporary fantasy.

• Learn from our expert team of published writers and leading academics.

• Engage with contemporary issues such as climate change, race and sexuality.

• Build your degree around your interests.

Year One
In your first year, you will explore Victorian literature from the Brontës through to Oscar Wilde, as well as examine the exciting space of Modernist experimentation in the twentieth century, French Literature in translation, post-World War Two literature, and the fiction of the present day.

You will also encounter new ways of thinking about the world, human identity, and wider critical and philosophical questions raised within the texts that you study.

Year Two
In year two, you will delve into past cultures, experiencing the rich literature of the Renaissance and encountering Romantics, rebels and reactionaries. You’ll also have the opportunity to read contesting texts by 20th century female authors, as well as a range of World Literature.

You will deepen your knowledge of fantasy, fairy tales or the gothic as well as discussing detective writing, science fiction, ecology and romance: you’ll be fascinated by the other worlds you discover.

Year Three
In your third year, you will select from numerous specialisms and design your own research project on a topic of your choice. Tutors draw on their latest research to allow you to study the contemporary fairy tale, the literature of the First World War, the connections between Psychology and Cultural production, the literature of Venice, Romantic Women’s Writing, the Graphic Novel, and more.

Essays
Textual analysis
Commentary
Collaborative project work
Portfolio
Dissertation
Manuscript work.

Modules are assessed at every stage of the course, allowing you to clearly see your academic progress throughout your degree.